I did pay my two bucks, for the cause, as it were.

Well, the event has grown up and out, as these sorts of things are supposed to, but Richmond has this ambivalent attitude about public celebration, yet, things can go well — look at the Richmond Folk Festival.

Problem is, I don’t think the Carytown merchants can possibly have the resources, and that’s why the city sort of stepped in with its excessive police presence and the chowder-headed decision to run an emergency lane down the middle of the street.

The merchants aren’t event planners or producers necessarily, Watermelon Festival the exception — but they’ve been doing that for years. And its in August during the day.

I guess what needs to happen is some kind of professional outfit that knows what its doing should be contracted — but, since the 2 buck admission fee idea sort of didn’t work, I don’t know where such money could come from.

If Carytown is able to organize itself as a special tax district, to pay for, say, a Carytown version of Clean and Sweep, and info booths in the parking decks maybe, perhaps some sheakles can come out of that for a New Year’s fund, or get a corporate sponsor to underwrite the whole New Year’s deal, though putting a company logo across a public event is kind of, well, hincky.

Finally, 2008 had some engine trouble, too, and not just the mounted police. The VIP area ran out of food, and was doing things like not charging women for drinks, but more for men, etc. As for getting people off the street at the party’s end, there’s really not much of a nice way to clear the way. If you’ve ever watched the end of Mardi Gras or the Times Square hullabaloo, police move in en masse and start shooing people away.

Also at the 2008 event, there was a half-hour rambling monologue on the part of the emcees that prevented Black Cash from playing all but two songs. So, the 2009 solution? Move the stage away from the natural congregation point, then not publish the bands until, I think, the night of the event. This said, whether intentionally or not, that the music isn’t important, but a beer truck (!) and armed guards were

After recently visiting New Orleans, and also seeing more events reclaiming Richmond’spublic spaces, Richmond needs to lighten up and learn somethings about the care and feeding of public celebrations.

I, too, witnessed fights and random slugging — one woman in front of the Deli just started wailing on anybody who was near by. I think she was acting out on her claustrophobia.

However, I think only half the people paid.

I re-up my comment in the very same post:
I hope 2008 (now 2009) brings RPD less grief from the residents it serves and protects.

http://wotbn.net/carytown-new-years-amazing-pics/

There had been a fight at the New York Deli (which could have happened at any bar in the city) and the medics needed to get a golf cart to the bar to get someone who had been injured out. Instead proceeding calmly and effectively, the RPD jumped at the opportunity to wield power in a blatant display of stupidity. I was on top of the Byrd theatre during this, watching it all with a great point of view. There were officers- good people, mind you- on the roof with me. They told me what was happening (they had radios). The RPD’s idea was that if they rode their horses through the tightly packed crowd, it would create a path for the ambulance cart.

This is utterly inept. The idea that after forcing their way through the crowd, the path they created would remain for more than a split second, belies their lack of knowledge of crowd control. As soon as the horses had passed, people filled in the gaps. Does a stone thrown into water create a path of air that leads to the surface? Perhaps, for a moment. But it fills in immediately.

This action by the RPD was grossly negligent for the safety of the crowd, and did more to incite panic than anything else. It is unfortunate, because outside of this one terrible decision, the RPD did a fantastic job the entire night.

I work for RVA Magazine, as a disclaimer. Again, the RPD did a *great* job with the event last year, save this one completely bad decision. I did not attend this year’s event.

So I didn’t go to the NYE celebration this year (I attended the first two), how was it? I came back to see the streets were cleaned a bit better than last year, but still doesn’t seem like they did a terrific job.

I think it’s also telling how much security is being stressed. I think they’re scared to death about how many people are going to be there. It’s gotten too big too fast. But it also goes to show much Richmond needed something like this.

At least the townies got to enjoy it the first year. When it was a Richmond event.

The 1st year was the opposite. It had a wonderful feel. Lots of smiles and cheers, people from all walks of life and demographics walking over from the different neighborhoods and coming together for a beautiful, homegrown event. It felt right, historic, and unifying. It felt like a celebration of local culture, local music, local creativity. It felt great that this was happening in Richmond and it didn’t have Phillip Morris or Ukrop’s attached to it.

Last year felt very very wrong. I fear for this year and most people that I know are now looking at this event with cynicism and scoffs.